Middlesbrough, Portsmouth warned off Bristol City's Elliott

Middlesbrough and Portsmouth are eyeing Elliott, but Johnson told the Bristol Evening Post: "I'm trying to build something here and I want to keep my best players, not sell them. The last thing I want is to be losing players to rival clubs.

"Of course, every player has his price and you have to consider what is best for the club. But the players enjoyed last season and I can't think of any football reasons why they might want to leave."